This book was what I created as my senior thesis to graduate from the photography program at UMBC.
Growing up as a child of parents who immigrated to the United States, my understanding of authentic Chinese food was constantly in flux between the greasy take-out that Americans loved, and the wonderfully complex and nourishing dishes my dad would make. Which one of the two was real? Were either of them truly authentic? How did my parents go about replicating those flavors they grew up with in a country over 10,000 miles away?
As I got older, I’d learn answers for those aforementioned questions. The prevalence of Asian supermarkets made staple ingredients easily accessible. I would learn the history that took place with the early Chinese immigrants in the 50s and 60s that would change the face of our food in comparison to Korean/Japanese food in the face of a different customer palate. But something I never quite understood was how we as second generation kids would adapt and learn about the foods we grew up with. This book is an homage to my love for food and fascination with immigrant cuisine.
The book is available for purchase through my shopfront HERE.
30% of all proceeds will be donated to RAICES.
Eat up. I hope you enjoy!
This book would not have been possible without Jessica Man, Biobele Braide, Raghav Muralidharan, Morgan Mullings and Gabriel Au. Thank you for for taking the time to share a bit of your lives with me.
It cannot be understated how much I owe Charissa Au for all the help in designing this book. For your guidance, I am eternally grateful.
To my friends. To Steven Bower and Nitesh Sridhar: who let me send countless samples. Thank you for your feedback and thank you for your support. You two are the hot grapes to my microwave. To my good friend Tyler Spooner: Hearing your creaking joints and crunchy bones have made spending late nights working that much more enjoyable. Thank you for always showing up.
To Frida and Udon. Be good to your mothers. Stay chunky. Thank you